I don't really see how this matters. That said, most of the people sick with the flu this year are sick with a variation the flu shot didn't protect against- basically doctors 'guess' in early spring which 3 strains of the virus to put in the shot to immunize people against and this year they guessed wrong. It's part of why so many people seem sick this year compared to last year.

I don't really see how this matters. That said, most of the people sick with the flu this year are sick with a variation the flu shot didn't protect against- basically doctors 'guess' in early spring which 3 strains of the virus to put in the shot to immunize people against and this year they guessed wrong. It's part of why so many people seem sick this year compared to last year.

Yeah, flu shots do not make you 100 percent immune. At best it gives you about 70 percent, which is better than nothing but certainty not fool-proof. And a flu shot won't make you 100 percent immune to other sickness. I got a flu shot and still got knocked down with a bad cold for the last week. I know that perhaps the flu shot provided more immunity that enabled me to recover quicker, but still nothing's 100 percent.

I don't really see how this matters. That said, most of the people sick with the flu this year are sick with a variation the flu shot didn't protect against- basically doctors 'guess' in early spring which 3 strains of the virus to put in the shot to immunize people against and this year they guessed wrong. It's part of why so many people seem sick this year compared to last year.

Well, it's a little more than "guessing" because they look at the strains prevalent in South America from their winter season a few months before the flu shots are given in North America. To say they guessed wrong is inaccurate; yes, most people who get sick were not protected against a particular strain but a lot of people didn't/won't get sick because they are protected. Regardless, Mirai has had problems rotating her jumps all season so I don't think her level at nationals was much worse than what she presented all season.

Well, it's a little more than "guessing" because they look at the strains prevalent in South America from their winter season a few months before the flu shots are given in North America. To say they guessed wrong is inaccurate; yes, most people who get sick were not protected against a particular strain but a lot of people didn't/won't get sick because they are protected. Regardless, Mirai has had problems rotating her jumps all season so I don't think her level at nationals was much worse than what she presented all season.

I don't want this to go too off topic but I just wanted to say it is doubtless better to have the shot than not have it, and that I do acknowledge that the guesses made are educated ones, as proven by the fact that (as I acknowledged above albeit in a roundabout way) they are often correct and this year is unusual. However at the end of the day they are guesses, nothing more.

My real larger point was that whether Nagasu had the shot or not, and whatever strain of the flu she had regardless of if she had the shot or not, it is still a pity she got sick right before Nationals. The flu is a nasty thing and even if she would have UR her jumps anyway, it's too bad she had to feel so physically crappy while doing it.

She has not lived up to her potential. And she can't do it no matter how hard she tries. We don't know if she has a long career ahead of her since the depth of US ladies is improving. She may have harder time making US team in the future.

What if someone had told Shizuka Arakawa, at age 19, that she had "not lived up to her potential" and that the depth of Japanese skaters coming up would make it hard for her to make the Japanese team in the future?

The problem with Mirai though is her jumps. She's been under-rotating them for some time now. She doesn't rotate fast enough in the air to land them fully rotated. And i'm still not sure about her handling pressure when it counts. But then we can say that about almost every top US skater at the moment.

What if someone had told Shizuka Arakawa, at age 19, that she had "not lived up to her potential" and that the depth of Japanese skaters coming up would make it hard for her to make the Japanese team in the future?

I love watching my 1998 -- yes, '98! -- Olys video and seeing a very young Arakawa, and knowing now what is in store for her in 2006. She did have to stick with it through some somewhat less-successful years, for sure.

Still, perhaps someone said something like that to Arakawa, and it lit her competitive fire to prove him/her wrong. I don't know if Mirai will want to stay or not, though; she really doesn't seem to enjoy skating, or at least skating competitions.

I love watching my 1998 -- yes, '98! -- Olys video and seeing a very young Arakawa, and knowing now what is in store for her in 2006. She did have to stick with it through some somewhat less-successful years, for sure.

Still, perhaps someone said something like that to Arakawa, and it lit her competitive fire to prove him/her wrong. I don't know if Mirai will want to stay or not, though; she really doesn't seem to enjoy skating, or at least skating competitions.

Yes, aren't we all lucky that Arakawa hung in there and either didn't listen or wasn't told. What a splendid presence we would have been deprived of, and what a career she would have missed out on. I don't know whether Mirai has similar potential, but there's always that possibility. Remember also Paul Wylie, an overnight Olympic star ten years in the making.

I wonder if Mirai will be back next season. I got the feeling after seeing her break down after seeing her scores that it was if she had been given an ultimatum (by her parents?) that she would make the team or else just move on and go to school next September.

My worry is that it is a financial issue. It is clear that the family is not wealthy. Making the team would have resulted in much more funding from USFSA than 7th place will.

My worry is that it is a financial issue. It is clear that the family is not wealthy. Making the team would have resulted in much more funding from USFSA than 7th place will.

While it is quite obvious that Mirai's family is not wealthy relative to other elite figure skating families in the USA, am I the only one who thinks their level of poverty is kind of exaggerated? It appears her parents are running a successful restaurant; she has her own computer and smart phone. I know and work with some legitimately poor families and the Nagasu's do not, in my mind, really qualify.

I am not meaning to trivialize how expensive skating is or that they will need to make sacrifices; I'm just saying for me this card is a tad overplayed/exaggerated when it comes to her IMO. In addition, won't she get the same funding as last year anyway?

Quite finally, she could get a part time job to bring in some extra money if she does continue. I understand skating is a full time endeavor at her level but Ashley Wagner has recently talked of all her part time jobs... in all actuality, I think Ashley's parents are about as wealthy (or not) as Mirai's now that I think of it, and somehow that never gets mentioned.

While it is quite obvious that Mirai's family is not wealthy relative to other elite figure skating families in the USA, am I the only one who thinks their level of poverty is kind of exaggerated? It appears her parents are running a successful restaurant; she has her own computer and smart phone. I know and work with some legitimately poor families and the Nagasu's do not, in my mind, really qualify.

I am not meaning to trivialize how expensive skating is or that they will need to make sacrifices; I'm just saying for me this card is a tad overplayed/exaggerated when it comes to her IMO. In addition, won't she get the same funding as last year anyway?

Quite finally, she could get a part time job to bring in some extra money if she does continue. I understand skating is a full time endeavor at her level but Ashley Wagner has recently talked of all her part time jobs... in all actuality, I think Ashley's parents are about as wealthy (or not) as Mirai's now that I think of it, and somehow that never gets mentioned.

A computer and a smartphone are not exactly measures of wealth anymore. And skating at the elite level costs more money than the average American family makes in a year. I have never seen any claim that the family is impoverished, rather that they are typical middle to lower middle class. An article in the local news during Nats estimated the average costs of elite level skating around $50,000--$80,000 a year. Median annual income in L.A. for 2011 was $56,653. So even if they have an average income for their area...I've seen online reviews of their restaurant. While it seems to be reasonably successful, it is also very small and likely not bringing in enough to cover overhead, support the family and pay for skating all at once. Because that adds up to a lot of money, particularly in L.A. As for Mirai working, it has still been reported that she works for her parents. I would guess that she is not paid or paid less than they would have to pay if they hired someone which may save them more than she could make working elsewhere (you have to factor in benefits, payroll taxes, etc...).

As for Ashley, living in an area with a ton of military and retired military families, I can tell you that it is likely that her dad is receiving his military pension and has a full time job. The result is a very secure income.

A computer and a smartphone are not exactly measures of wealth anymore. And skating at the elite level costs more money than the average American family makes in a year. I have never seen any claim that the family is impoverished, rather that they are typical middle to lower middle class. An article in the local news during Nats estimated the average costs of elite level skating around $50,000--$80,000 a year. Median annual income in L.A. for 2011 was $56,653. So even if they have an average income for their area...I've seen online reviews of their restaurant. While it seems to be reasonably successful, it is also very small and likely not bringing in enough to cover overhead, support the family and pay for skating all at once. Because that adds up to a lot of money, particularly in L.A. As for Mirai working, it has still been reported that she works for her parents. I would guess that she is not paid or paid less than they would have to pay if they hired someone which may save them more than she could make working elsewhere (you have to factor in benefits, payroll taxes, etc...).

As for Ashley, living in an area with a ton of military and retired military families, I can tell you that it is likely that her dad is receiving his military pension and has a full time job. The result is a very secure income.

I disagree that a computer and smartphone are not measures of wealth at least to some degree. I worked at DC public schools for two years very recently (2010-2012 school years). Well over half the kids in my high school classes did not have computers at home at all, much less their own. Smartphones were slightly more common (IMO bizarrely) but I'd still say no more than half had them. It was a huge problem with college applications for those who wanted to apply because they didn't have access to a computer and had to go to th epublic library to do so. Now I grant you, this was a poor school in the poorest area of DC, but all the same, people who think everyone has internet at home, even in America, are very sorely mistaken.

I disagree that a computer and smartphone are not measures of wealth at least to some degree. I worked at DC public schools for two years very recently (2010-2012 school years). Well over half the kids in my high school classes did not have computers at home at all, much less their own. Smartphones were slightly more common (IMO bizarrely) but I'd still say no more than half had them. It was a huge problem with college applications for those who wanted to apply because they didn't have access to a computer and had to go to th epublic library to do so. Now I grant you, this was a poor school in the poorest area of DC, but all the same, people who think everyone has internet at home, even in America, are very sorely mistaken.

Uh...and my point was that the Nagasu family is likely in the middle class category economically not impoverished. Having a computer and smartphone does not mean a family is wealthy. The middle and lower middle class, however, routinely owns such things today. I did, in fact, in the post very clearly say that the Nagasu family is clearly NOT in deep poverty. You are talking about people who are. Apples and oranges, my friend. My point is that a family earning the median income in L.A. (which is a middle class income) would still be hard pressed to afford the astronomical expenses of elite figure skating. Sadly, this is not a sport for the masses because of the costs. Mirai's family can be in a position to really need her to get the most possible funding from USFSA without living in poverty.

I also made absolutely no assumption that every home in America has internet access. I am not ignorant. I taught high school for 16 years and certainly am aware of the challenges many families face. I also know people who live in rural areas where reliable cell phone service and broadband internet are still unavailable. Honestly, we don't even know that Mirai has full internet access at home. She may be like my relatives who use 3G or 4G smartphone access at home and access through wi-fi with laptops or tablets where free internet is available. But that is neither here nor there when we are talking about a sport that costs more per year than most Americans make.

Quite finally, she could get a part time job to bring in some extra money if she does continue. I understand skating is a full time endeavor at her level but Ashley Wagner has recently talked of all her part time jobs... in all actuality, I think Ashley's parents are about as wealthy (or not) as Mirai's now that I think of it, and somehow that never gets mentioned.

Very true, but sadly that is not the preferred way anymore in this country.